


The Steps of Playing the Part

by enchantedlightningwrites



Series: Enchant's Sambucky Bingo 2k19 Fics [6]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Banter, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, Sambucky Bingo 2019, Some Fluff, Some pop culture references, new 2020 content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-05
Updated: 2020-03-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:02:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22126813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/enchantedlightningwrites/pseuds/enchantedlightningwrites
Summary: Bucky and Sam, tentative friends or –sometimes– frenemies, gets a mission on to pretend to be a newly engaged couple at a resort, to recover stolen serums that could put people at risk. Along the way, they navigate through the ups and downs, and realize some feelings, just can't be kept at bay.NOTE: This fic is discontinued in favor of other fics. I might continue it, with the right sort of encouragement and inspiration.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Sam Wilson
Series: Enchant's Sambucky Bingo 2k19 Fics [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1690249
Comments: 3
Kudos: 29
Collections: Sambucky Bingo





	1. How It All Started

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so sad, I haven't been able to write more for the SBBingo in December, than I originally planned. So this ﬁc, will ﬁll in the following square in my card. Fake Relationship/Married/Dating.
> 
> I didn't beta, so if you see any mistakes, it's mine. Also sorry if the duo, are in a world with not much canon characters around.
> 
> Beware, the snarks and the jabs!

“Seriously, we really have to do this?” Bucky asked, with a groaning. “I’m supposed to pretend that I’m his fiancé?”

“Hey, I don’t like this either,” Sam retorted, scoffing.

“You two should just act like a happy, engaged couple for at least...” General Kaminski paused, pushing a lock of her pink hair away. “Two weeks.”

“WHAT?!” Both the men sputtered, incredulously.

“Yeah. Sorry, it’s the new anonymous higher ups idea.” Kaminski shrugged. “I had been instructed to tell that this is the way, to get in the resort where our newest criminal is located. Apparently, they were rumoured to be meeting up with their accomplice, as to provide them the latest supply of the revived extremous drugs.”

Sam arched his brows. “You mean the drugs created by A.I.M?”

“Yes, there has been a stash found in Florida.”

“Ooh, boy.” Bucky rubbed the sides of his head.

“Two weeks? Being a lucky couple in a resort?” Sam scrunched his face, before tossing his hands up. “Fine. I’ll try to suck it up for the sake of the city from being raided again.”

“If we want to distract them,” Bucky began, his mind planting a rather outrageous idea. “We can argue, causing a scene to draw them out of their corners.”

“You just really want to argue with me, huh?”

“No. It’s because, well... I know it’s thing, couples do.”

Kaminski gave Bucky, a side-eye. “Barnes, not _all_ couples do that. Take it from my sister, Jenny and her wife, they always get to meet in the middle. Sometimes, you gotta do that with people, you can’t stand.” She coughed, uttering some name and coughed some more. “Be mature like Sam, just go along with the plan and act like some happy couple... for the sake of this nation.”

_The last time, I’ve done a damn thing for the nation, I fell off a train._

He sighed, knowing he was resigned.

“Okay, alright, cool, cool, cool,” Bucky murmured, almost cringing of how he spent the whole weekend, binge-watching on Netflix. “When are we going?”

“Tomorrow, as soon as the sun sets,” Kaminski informed, throwing a piece of dart on a date of a calendar on the beige wall. “You’ve got to prepare your equipment, this time, since Sharon is assigned on another case. She’s not always going to be your babysitter, guys.”

She briefly glanced at Sam.

“I don’t see her like that,” Sam rebuked, sounding remarkably offended. “She’s a good ally and colleague, who just helps us, when our brain cells are so low.”

“Or when she’s the only one who’s got them,” Bucky added, snickering alittle.

It earned a dirty side-eye from Cap, who immediately returned his attention to their fellow officer.

“And the two of you, has to share _one_ room to make this ‘couple’ thing work.” Kaminski picked her files up and kept them in a folder. “Got it, gentlemen?”

“Completely understood you,” Sam replied, making a salute.

Bucky shrugged, yet nodded. “I got it, General.”

She lifted her head as she began marching towards the door.

“If you guys ever complain about each other during the mission, the higher ups might give you a case, far worse than this one.”

“Oh please, Kam, like what?” Sam asked, scoffing. “I’ve been on a hellish time during that time S.H.I.E.L.D got infiltrated by the snake, ahem, what’s the worst mission, this organization can offer?”

“Maybe a cold one in the Antarctica or a heated one in some desert.” The general’s voice sounded flat and outright serious.

When she first gave them their case and when they whined about their mode of transportation, she used that exact tone when mentioning a scooter.

 _A scooter._ For a mission!

Still she remained chill and fair to them, just like to everyone else. For Bucky, Kam was the least shadiest member of the organization.

Plus, she had that sweet plane. One he was allowed to use and learn because she was one of those few people who had complete trust in him. Well, she, Sharon, Sam and few others.

...why those few people he knew had names, starting with a S?

He grimaced, while someone cleared their throat.

“Well, fuzzy bear and I will be having a marvelous time,” Sam said, in a fake sweet voice and headed in Bucky’s direction. The smile he plastered, equally matched it. “I have the while trip planned out for the two of us.”

If couples smile and speak to each other like this, most of the time, Bucky felt so glad to be single. Despite bei...

The thought vanished when an arm linked behind him, and Bucky looked at his... “boyfriend”. Spouse. Whatever, people called it, these days. He returned his smile with an even weird and cheesy one.

“Oh, Sammy, you’re so romantic,” Bucky said, in a sarcastic way.

Sam just nudged him in the elbow, the stupid smile now finally going. The heat of his body startled him, prompting him to almost push the Cap back. He leveled his breathing and wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

_This is just for two weeks. Two weeks, it’ll be over and you’ll no longer endure this... crap, ever again. Still this feels good. Seeing how smooth his wave hairstyle looks, the playful light in those dark, compelling eyes. His arms around me, his stro..._

Bucky shook his head at himself, dislodging those absurd and unnecessary thoughts.

Damn, it annoyed him that he can’t ignore the good-looks, Sam had been blessed with.

He looked ahead, seeing the General setting a hand on the knob. She eased it, opening the door.

“I hope, you two crazy kids, will get the job done,” Kaminski murmured, stepping out the hallway. “And have fun in your trip.”

The door shut in a clink, leaving the two of them inside.

Sam dropped his arms, taking a step away from him. Some disappointment washed over Bucky, but he ignored it. He didn’t understand it and didn’t want to.

Just like his feelings for Sam— unfamiliar, huge and deep. An ocean, he didn’t even choose to jump in and had no idea on how to get back from.

But he shouldn’t act on them, considering many risks.

Pretending, though? He could handle it, as long as Sam doesn’t push the boundaries and get across a line, he wasn’t through. Sam was smart enough to not feel that way for him, and he considered it a good thing.

Logically, that was. His emotions and erratic heart disagreed.

Bucky pushed a hand through the top of his cropped hair.

“Should we head over the storage room for some gadgets?” He asked, pushing his voice to sound neutral and unaffected. “Macey, the new I.T temporary transfer, has invented some new stuff. I think. Some people were talking about it, earlier.”

“Yeah, we should,” Sam replied, sliding a hand on the pocket of his jacket. “I’m gonna choose the stuff, while you test them out.”

Bucky nodded, going beside Sam, by a few inches.

He didn’t need to torture himself with impossibilities and the fleeting feel of his teammate’s presence. He had enough of it for the past few weeks.

He needed to stir up the nasty tension again, so that he’d be left alone.

Yet he didn’t want to be alone. His broken f**ked up brain wanted someone to be with him and save him from all the hell, he’d seen and done.

Wait... why was he thinking of this, now?

He wanted to throw a slap at his own face.

Sam opened the door, and the two of them stridden over the tech department.

***

The feelings of this mission for him, fell between amusement and exasperation.

Amusement, because not once, Sam ever imagined that pretending to be a couple would ever happen to him. Nat often mentioned on how she had been paired up with people and pretended to be their spouse or significant other.

And she despised it, while still laughing alone at the end of each mission.

Exasperation, because Bucky was the last person, he wanted to be a fake ‘boyfriend’ to. No, he didn’t dislike him. Far from that, but... he felt something close to being real.

And he didn’t want it digging out of the ground, when he pushed it down so hard.

He had his share of bizarre missions with the guy, and had to top something else on being the worse. The Hot Air Balloon incident. He wasn’t going to forget that one, until all else fades. Even _Bucky_ hated it.

Sam despised it, to the point he would rather not remember it now.

Why the hell, did he brought it up?

A spa and drugs wouldn’t be bad, maybe. Just pretend, search for the perpetrator and get out of there without a single scratch.

No big. He was an adult, who could control his feelings and all else.

Bucky tapped the metallic door, then stood back. He folded his arms over his broad chest, keeping his steel blue eyes away from him.

He had been taken aback by the slight skittishness in the practice embrace, not anticipating that. Usually, in a moment like that, he’d be shoved aside or growled at.

Instead, his teammate only just stayed still, giving him some gesture of ‘affection’.

Sam needed to think twice, before doing something that might offend or scare the guy. Asking him seems right in any given situation, they were going to get thrown at.

The door opened, then a green-haired white girl poked her head out. She waved at them, expanding the door for them.

“Hey, Cap,” Macey greeted, in her usual happy and bored voice. “What’s up?”

She looked way too young to be working in a place like this, yet her skills proved otherwise. Her only contender could be a certain young princess from Wakanda. Shuri might like her, if she were here and had met her.

And she impressed Sam, through her ideas on the gadgets.

“M, we’re here for the new stuff,” Sam informed, smiling.

Though, it didn’t seem to impress her, she raised a finger. “Hang on, Wilson. This is gonna take awhile.”

She rushed back inside, leaving the door to slightly swing. He saw Bucky raised his brows, when a cat shrieked as if it jumped through a window. Something rolled, going in a direction and the two of them stepped aside, making way for a big, shiny cart.

There were some belts, jewelry -fashion could be used as a tool-, little phone-like objects and an electronic button.

Macey panted, laying her palm atop of the handle.

“I’ve got some new stuff, but first,” she began, whipping her head back. “Deets. What’s your jobs, this time?”

“Wilson and I are assigned to be a couple in a resort,” Bucky said, sounding lifeless and fully unemotional.

“Ooh, sounds terrible,” she replied, grimacing before schooling her features to neutral. “What’s the mission’s, all about? I hope you guys, might be able to survive on this?”

“Survive?” Sam enunciated, his mind slightly slowing down.

Macey tsked. “Few teams got cases like yours and never made it, acting like a lovey-dovey lovers, with stars in their eyes. The suspects and civilians never bought it. Thus, the mission turned to be a total mess and failure.”

“What’s the bad one?”

Macey tapped the temples of her head.

“There’s this one pair, who posed as a couple in a business conference. They were meant to be a duo, who ran a non-existent successful company. They argued in the bathroom about the coordinates, where other people overheard them and the criminal was with their team.” She cringed. “The next thing, it got screwed up, then they lost track and it all went side-ways.”

Macey did an inflating sound, looking down at the ground.

“Damn,” Sam remarked, his voice low.

Well... Bucky wouldn’t be this bad. He hoped. He turned to glance at him, finding him twitch his mouth. Did he want to scream? Or laugh?

Even after knowing him for five years, Sam found Bucky so unreadable. It wasn’t easy to understand and decode, whatever he felt.

Whatever it was, he thought, Bucky felt terrified for sure.

“Okay, let’s get to the goods,” Macey said, changing the subject. “Today, I have your usual grappling belts, since hooks are so overrated. Don’t worry about your pants falling off. Other fellas tested out on making sure, that won’t happen.”

Sam laughed. “Of course, I won’t, I know how to use ‘em.”

“Great.” Macey held up the tiny iPod-like device. “Now, this one was given to me from a generous ally, in the form of a blueprint. This is a gadget, used for hearing inside a wall, when you check for clues or your target. It has a headset and buttons to adjust the volume. Pretty cool and useful. Just don’t put near the walls, where people bang.”

She put those down, picking up a pearl bracelet.

“Next, this is the smoke ball that you can place in your wrist. If someone’s chasing either of you, this thing can be thrown on the ground and a smoke would erupt. I painted it in white, so that people wouldn’t notice. It’s kinda sensitive, so be careful when touching it.”

How fatal could a piece of jewelry be? The inventor placed it in a small box, closing the lid with caution. She picked up earpieces and their corresponding buttons.

“I’m sure, you two know what these are for,” Macey said, putting in transparent cases. “Don’t lose these. When either of you are interrogating the perp, turn on the sonic enhancer.”

“Wait, is that what you call the iPod thingie?” Bucky asked.

“Not really. The inventor has yet to tell me,” she answered, gripping the cart. “Be sure to pretend that it is an mp3 player. This is all of the gadgets, you need in the mission. Also here’s some tips: don’t bicker too much, like you usually do. Display PDAs, a few times. If you can’t stand the idea of kissing each other, just go into a random room and make it seem like you’re getting freaky on each other.”

“A janitor’s closet would be an ideal choice,” Bucky murmured, sounding pleased.

Sam rolled his eyes. “Are you for real? Is it your way of putting me there and leaving me.?”

“No, it’s a way for me to not deal with you as my ‘boyfriend’.”

“Speaking of boyfriend, who’s gonna make our cover story?”

“I hate to tell ya, Cap, but your face is kinda...” Macey spread her hands out. “Well-known as of recently. You have to wear a heavy disguise, so no one would recognize you. Now I have a solution for what’s your play in the mission.”

Sam rubbed his chin and Bucky leaned in closer.

“I’m listenin’.” Bucky turned his ear towards her.

“You two are a couple that won a lottery for an all exclusive trip just for you two,” Macey began, using her story time tone. “You have different names from a list, you can choose from Jenny. She’s got alot. You’re newly engaged and Sam is the one who bought the tickets.”

“Hey, what about me?” Bucky asked, seemingly offended.

“Hey, dude, I’m not done yet,” Macey chided, poking a finger at his forehead. “Sam’s a renowned professor at a university, you are a psychologist who works in a psyche ward.”

Sam lifted a finger. “So Bucky’s get a cool job, while I get the mediocre one?”

“Fine!” Macey threw her hands up. “Swap roles, then? Sam’s the psychologist, Bucky’s the professor. What’s cool about psychology?”

Sam hummed, moving his feet slightly apart.

“I find how people deal with those with mental illness, pretty fascinating. I often watched documentary on it, and if I wasn’t Captain America, I’d be the psychologist who would help people who went through significant trauma.”

She dropped her hands at her knees.

“Now there’s the Sam Wilson, everybody luuvves,” Macey crooned, in a baritone. “Give him a hand, ladies, gents, folks in between.”

“You’re being too much.” Sam grinned, then Bucky’s stoic expression caught him off-guard.

It was an expression, somehow devoid of emotion. Devoid of feeling.

If there’s anything he still disliked about him, it would be his ability to be unreadable. It mystified him in ways, he didn’t get and he wanted to.

Bucky’s glacial eyes flicked over the metallic structure of the room, indicating that he seemed to be in deep thought.

Sam teared his attention away from him, not wanting to get caught. Despite the strained quality on his features, the ex-assassin appeared gorgeous and striking with those bristles of facial hair accentuating his cheekbones and around his tightened mouth.

It would be a rare occurrence, Bucky would ever smile and when he saw it behind closed eyelids, his lips would curve wide in a...

F**k. He pressed his knuckles on the sides of his head, frustrated with himself.

“Can you check, how the resort’s like?” Bucky asked, finally removing the damn silence. “If the place’s nice, I’m willing to forgive the person, who’s putting the two of us through this.”

“Now that’s another thing, we can agree on this trip,” Sam muttered, underneath his breath.

“Sure thing, Bucko.” Macey pulled up her phone, her dexterous fingers tapping and swiping through the screen. She tilted it to him, displaying the gallery on the site. “It’s pretty stunning, with the palm trees, clear turquoise pools and hot tubs. Definition of a rich white couple paradise. It’s luxurious, and the interior is just as amazing.”

Sam pursed his lips. “This room is way too huge for just two people, yet they can’t get in an extra bed?! A single mattress bed would be even better.”

“Agree,” Bucky murmured, absently.

“It’s Florida and about to be summer,” Macey said, turning her phone off. “And be careful in there, you might get to meet one of those crazies, in those articles. It could be boring and is not mi caliente.”

“Does it have to be summer?” Bucky asked, his eyes sagging in the corners. “I’m not a fan of winter, either, but still. Do I have to wear a speedo with Sam?”

To his chagrin, his cheeks burned hot.

“We _don’t_ have to, if you don’t wanna,” Sam blurted out, slapping a palm on his mouth. “Just chill, we’re gonna figure this fake ‘being together’ out.”

Honestly, he uttered that as a way of reassuring himself.

“If we are,” Bucky began, sucking in air, “no pet names. I refuse to have pet names as code names.”

“C’mon, Barn-ey,” Sam cooed, smirking. “I know you love callin’ me, Sammy.”

“This would be sexier, if you meant to call him Barney from HIMYM,” Macey remarked, with a strained tone, probably holding back laughter. “Instead of the dinosaur.”

“Wilson, I’m warnin’ you.” Bucky scowled, his face slightly severe.

“Fine, fine, fine.” Sam let a deep breath out. “But we need to have either of our hands on the waist. So will that be you or me?”

“You. You’re the more stable one.”

“Alright. And our color coding?”

This time, Bucky cursed under his breath and turned his back on him.

“I’m almost considering the case in Antarctica,” Bucky murmured with a sigh, feigning annoyance.


	2. The Improvisation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed the title of the fic, because it sounded too pretentious. Plus, sorry for delay. My other fics keep me up, and... I lost interest in this one. Enjoy, what's left of it!

The jet took off from the ground, with the engines firing up and going upwards the bright lavender horizon. A cart had been rolled in their direction, with the steward stopping by.

Bucky leaned his head back in his seat, while Sam put on his headphones and hit the button of his playlist. His teammate’s eyes slowly closed, and he took a moment to watch him fall asleep, before returning his attention to his iPod.

The smooth voice of Marvin Gaye blocked out the noisiness of the plane, as he kept his stare on the chair in front of him.

Thanks to a mutual friend, she allowed them to borrow her jet for the next two weeks. She’s much more generous than her cousin, who’s having a vacation in Hawaii.

Sam pursed his lips when a thought occurred. Why would a bunch of people have a base in Florida? In _Florida_?

As much as he avoided reading on the crazies, he hoped to not run into any of them.

Honestly, those headlines were a way to pull him in.

He had looked up on the Extremous soldiers, finding info on how the creator, Aldrich Killian, had used the Mandarin ruse and all that. How he kidnapped the ex-president back in 2012, holding him hostage until Stark had found him and… the rest had been history.

If Stark was available, not vacationing in Hawaii with his friends, then he might have asked him about some tips on how to avoid getting turned into fresh meat by those with the serum.

In the meantime, he could just think about how would he and his teammate would act it out as… a couple.

Maybe they could take the angle of those old married couples whose banter, draws the attention of those around them.

Nah. The criminal might use it as a distraction to do their dirty work, without their notice.

Could they pretend to be those couples, who showed public displays of affection?

However, considering Bucky’s slight distaste with touching, he gave the idea, a hard pass.

Sam set two fingertips at the temples of his head.

_C’mon, think, think, think…_

Aha! Maybe they could be the couple that’s casual and light, being loving and decent to each other. They could hug, hold hands or…

Maybe he was fantasizing about it. A bit too much for his liking.

He longed to hold Barnes’s hands and often dreamt of doing those innocent things, he had done before but not with _him_.

After joining the military, he stopped dating, because he had never been with anyone that he connected with, that great. Well, most dumped him, but he moved on with jogging and recreational activities.

Sam looked at the window, seeing the puffy, pale clouds pass by.

If he could, he could fly out in the sky with his wings wide and feel the fresh air touch his face and fill his lungs.

At least, without any vehicle in his view or way.

The song, which had been playing, got interrupted with his ringtone and he turned it on.

“Hi, Kam,” Sam greeted, casually.

“Hey, Wilson, you two are still preparing?” She asked loudly, with some noise around her.

“No, we’re done and we’re in the plane,” he informed, resting his elbows on his knees. “The flight takes three hours for us to get there. Natasha has booked a reservation for us, from wherever she is.”

“Amazing, call me back when you arrive,” she instructed and the call turned off.

 _Will do._ He sighed, rubbing his forehead.

Who the hell, were the new mysterious higher ups? No one working in the agency were allowed to know, but he wanted to.

Of course, it would involve an illegal way to find that information.

Still, his curiosity would be satisfied that way.

Someone yawned on his side, then something brushed on his shoulder.

Staying still, he slightly moved his head and found Barnes, deeply asleep, not knowing he had his head resting on his shoulder.

He took a deep breath. He released it quietly.

There was no audience in the plane, and he was glad. Otherwise, people might be cooing and saying ‘aw’.

Or not, since he saw couples do it in other flights, and most folks didn’t care.

Grimacing, Sam slightly shifted his arm as to not get sore within a few hours. He turned on his music player, changing to the next song.

O-kay, maybe having “I Will Survive” on this particular playlist wasn’t a good idea. Since the opening lyrics matched his feelings, at the moment. He clicked the next button, now finally getting a non-love song.

Listening to love songs, most days, made him think of Bucky. As much as he didn’t like it, fifty percent of his thoughts these past three weeks, day and night, always wandered over to Bucky.

He didn’t get it, and he certainly didn’t want to.

And he slowly smiled, at how Bucky looked adorable when he was sleeping… and shut up!

He wanted to shake his head, instead, he rolled eyes at himself.

_Yeah, because the last thing I need is to hook up with someone. At this point of my damn life._

Bucky was making inaudible sounds, which he couldn’t pick because of his music. Some good ol’ Etta James would drown out the unnecessary thought that he had for Bucky f**king Barnes!

However, his evil, evil brain had other plans. ‘A Sunday Kind of Love’ played on his shuffled playlist, and boy, did some visual moved in his mind like a film reel. With _him_ on it.

_Every minute, every hour, every day_

_Oh, I’m hoping to discover_

_A certain kind of lover_

_Who will show me the way_

_And my arms need someone_

_Someone to enfold_

_To keep me warm when Mondays_

_And Tuesdays grow cold_

Sam squeezed his eyes shut. He had gone through a lot of daydreams, but he never daydreamed when a song came on.

Ugh. He was definitely f**ked, and he couldn’t blame anyone else for that.

What was he thinking? Pretending to be…Bucky’s fiancé? Why didn’t he thought of it as crazy, earlier?

 _Because you wanted to play, Sammy,_ a gremlin in his mind told him with a teasing taunt.

 _Shut up,_ Sam wanted to mumble back, wanting to punch his own thoughts. _Just, shut up._

Damn it, he hated it when his own mind was messing with him.

Especially over Bucky Barnes.

The whirring noise of the plane and droning voices of people stirred him from his nap. Or sleep. Bucky yawned, stretching an arm. He curled it over… somewhere, as he shifted in his seat.

However, his fingertips brushed over some cloth making Bucky almost jump up.

His eyes cracked open, and he found Sam making a face at him. He leaned his hip against the chair, holding on his duffle bag.

“You ‘kay, dude?” Sam asked, with a concerned once-over. “The plane landed, and we gotta leave. Otherwise, our cab reservation will get cancelled.”

Bucky blinked, getting out of his seat. He rubbed his face with his palm, yawning again. He opened the fuselage, where he had kept his backpack. They left the first-class cabin, taking the flight –ha, Sam would so hate him for that– of stairs.

They sauntered down, their hands hovering beside. Close enough to be hand-in-hand…

But the farce wouldn’t start, until they made it to the resort. Bucky would snicker, once they got there. They made it to the airport, and searched for their luggage. They had brought a suitcase with their equipment, but their weapons… would be delivered tomorrow by one of Nat’s friends.

Mysterious pals, neither that he or Sam know.

They found the luggage carrier, then Bucky lifted it their thick black suitcase, once it came out.

Sam and Bucky fell into pace with the bustling crowd, navigating their way out of the building. When they reached outside, they were greeted by a portly man holding up a ‘Welcome, Mr. Sammy and Mr. Barney’ card.

His teammate snorted. “Now, who would chose those particular names?”

“I hate this,” Bucky managed to mutter, putting his baseball cap down.

They weren’t even pretending, yet, and he had to endure that? It could get worse.

Almost tripping, he almost didn’t notice Sam offering an arm, he saw, bumping his with an elbow.

“Shall we, honey?” Sam asked, sounding so convincing.

Damn, he could be able to fool anyone into thinking that he was in love with him, with his voice smooth and gentle.

What was the name of the house on the books, which Macey liked a lot?

Not that Sam didn’t suit the other more less shady one: he did, but that’s not the point!

Whatever, Sam could get in all those houses, anyways.

To his surprise, a person was running down the other pavement with a squid on top of their head. Bucky winced, watching a pair of police officers chasing after them. Sam shielded his eyes, as if he felt embarrassed to be in Earth.

To quote, Macey… _Mood._

“Those f**kin’ crazies,” a black woman said, shaking her head. And turned it towards them. “Oh, hey! You’re Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes, right? Agent Perrina, at your service. General Kaminski had informed me of your arrival, earlier.”

The two of them extended their hands out for a handshake.

“Pleasure to meet you, Perrina,” Sam said, as he took her hand.

Bucky eye rolled a little bit, before a smile betrayed his feeling.

Agent Perrina shook his hand, too.

Bucky nodded. “Well, I’m glad, we’re not going with that person.”

He bluntly pointed at the screaming man, whose feet slipped. Oof, that gotta hurt, he thought.

“Nah, we ain’t.” Agent Perrina grinned. “Say, I’ve heard about you two. Is New York is as bustling as they say?”

“Not really,” Sam answered, smiling in return. “It’s sorta noisy as it gets, and believe me, traffic’s crazy as hell. Thankfully, Barnes and I moved in New Orleans, before either of us could go insane.”

“It’s not like that, back in my time,” Bucky said, somewhat grimly. “Wait. Shit, I’m a dumb-ass. Brooklyn had lots of people movin’ and dancin’ on their feet, each and every single damn day. But you never see that much cars down the streets.”

Perrina laughed, and he felt that they had a buffer between them. Sam stared at him with wide eyes, as if he couldn’t believe that Bucky told them all that.

And the shock in his expression slid off with a poker face.

“Okay, let’s just get into the car.” Perrina beckoned them.

In front of them, a black sedan perched beside the streetlight. The portly driver pressed the buttons on his keys, unlocking it. Perrina led them to the backseat, as she opened the doors on each side for them. They went to the trunk to keep their suitcase, before getting inside the car.

Bucky rested his haunches on the leather seat, along with Sam.

There was a gap. Ah, finally, after being slightly cramped with him in the plane, he wanted to keep some distance between them. All his senses went alert, when Sam’s arm had brushed and touched him in the ride.

He had wanted to escape, because f**k that had been too much. Too tantalizing for him to even not panic.

So, that was why he wanted to pass out. And he succeeded.

Sam put his white earphones with the tiny wings back on, settling into his seat. His eyes closed and he let out a little sigh.

Bucky smiled to himself. At least, he could gladly ignore the feelings that he had for him.

He could be an actor, and pretend to not be into him. He had rehearsed six times in the mirror, before getting to bed, last night.

“You know, Mr. Barnes, Kam tells me a lot about you,” Perrina informed, in the middle of the ride. “And I must say, she must be super proud of you.”

 _She is?_ He wanted to ask, but his mouth clamped shut on its own. _Why would Kam be proud of me? What for?_

Instead, he rubbed the back of his neck. “Hehe, I guess that being a good partner to Sammy over here, gets her happy.”

“No, she’s proud of you for some other thing.” Perrina sounded serious. “She couldn’t tell me, because it was personal, but she’s proud for some progress.”

 _That._ Bucky stayed silent, leaning back. He and Kam often meet in the weekends for a therapy sort of guidance. She helped a lot, even though he felt that he couldn’t keep it up, she told him that it was okay.

For him, to fall back sometimes. But that it was more important that he could be able to pick himself up, again.

He liked the advice. The idea of getting up, after a hard fall resonated the broken parts of him.

Shaking his head, Bucky glued his eyes on the windows. The view of Florida should be able to get rid of the drowning thoughts of head.

It should.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to, you can ramble with me @enchanted-lightning-aes in tumblr! Also I'm discontinuing this fic, because I don't know what to do with it. It happens to many writers, I notice, and I didn't ever think that I would be one of them.

**Author's Note:**

> I might be late with the other chapters, because of my other fics and stuff. I hope to make this fic, developed and not rushed. Thanks for reading. You can find me on tumblr, @enchanted-lightning-aes and blab about these two!


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